


One Night in Sharlayan

by Huehxolotl



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/F, First Date, Fluff for Fluff's Sake, Minor appearances by Yda and Y'mhitra, Total AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 17:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21305972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huehxolotl/pseuds/Huehxolotl
Summary: Y'shtola's date night looks to be ending before it even begins.Then Lyse Hext stumbles across her path.
Relationships: Lyse Hext/Y'shtola Rhul
Comments: 10
Kudos: 49





	One Night in Sharlayan

**Author's Note:**

> Was this planned? No.
> 
> Is this beta'd? No.
> 
> Do I care? Also no.
> 
> Have some fluffy, silly Lyshtola anyway!

“I do believe I’ve been stood up. Again.”

A passing couple spares her a pitying glance, though she pays them no mind. Truthfully, she had half expected the night to end like this. Mikoto, an old college friend with benefits, is known for many things, and an inability to keep her days straight is one of her more infamous traits. Crossing her arms, she sighs and taps her foot impatiently. Staying and eating alone is a tempting option, hungry as she is, but the crowd in front of the The Four Lords entrance has grown considerably during her wait. It will take at _least_ forty minutes to get seated, and another thirty to get food.

Highly rated this restaurant may be, but she is hungry _now_, and has been for an hour. At this point, it would be faster if she went home and made food herself.

“Ah! Uh, Y’shtola, right? Hi! What are you doing out here?”

She blinks and searches for the owner of the somewhat familiar voice. Her search is a short one, ended by the woman in question appearing in front of her.

Lyse Hext, Yda Hext’s younger sister and newest gym teacher at Sharlayan High, grins charmingly.

“...Lyse?” she asks hesitantly. It feels odd to be so informal with someone she has only met once -at the last staff meeting- but it would be stranger if she wasn’t, due to Lyse’s own greeting.

“Yup! I’m surprised you remembered. We didn’t even talk at the meeting.”

She truly has no response to that sentiment, so she settles for answering the second question. “Indeed. As for why I’m loitering outside this establishment, I _was_ meant to meet with someone. She has, however, proven to be unreliable.”

Lyse gasps, immediately offended on her behalf. “Is she crazy, standing up a beautiful woman? You’re definitely better off without her!”

Though she has never spoken with the woman before this, part of her takes comfort in _someone_ caring for her tonight. The compliments certainly don’t hurt, either.

“It wasn’t unexpected. Seeing as how our reservation is long passed, and how busy it has become, I do believe it wise for me to return home _before_ I pass out from hunger,” she says lightly. Her stomach growls to prove her point.

“You should go to Ruby’s!” Lyse exclaims. “It’s real Doman food, unlike the tourist stuff at this place, _and_ they give you lots of food for your money! The owners are really nice, and they have the best snacks. Fast service, too. They aren’t far!”

Return home and attempt to scrounge up a half-decent meal, wait out the crowd here and hope she obtains food in under two hours, or the unexpected third option?

Examining Lyse critically, she notes the white crop top that shows off a droolworthy set of abs, ripped skinny jeans that highlight muscled thighs and calves, and worn athletic shoes. Casual clothes, so she had _some_ sort of business in the area, but nothing pressing, if her lingering is any indication.

“...What brings _you_ to this part of town?”

Lyse blinks at the change of topic, then rubs her neck sheepishly. “I had a meeting a few blocks away earlier, and I sorta...missed the last bus for the night.”

“Excellent.”

“...Uh, what?”

Without further explanation, she links her arm with Lyse’s and tugs her along toward her parked car. “How far away is this Ruby’s?”

“Oh! We’re. You want me to? With you? Uh. I mean. Ahem. Not far at all!”

For a blessing, Lyse accepts her rash and somewhat forceful invitation without further fuss. She isn’t quite sure what has overcome her, to be honest. Is she truly so starved for company that she is willing to pressure a perfectly charming woman into accompanying her for the evening? Or is she simply taken by her charm? Both, perhaps?

Only one thing is certain; this will not be a night of academic talk, expensive food, and quick sex.

“I’ll call ahead and order my usual. You can have some while you wait for your own food!” Lyse says as she clambers into the passenger seat of her small car.

Her stomach growls again, declaring the plan agreeable. She would be embarrassed had she been with any other person, but Lyse only laughs; her “date” is far too busy attempting to buckle her seatbelt with one hand while she dials the number for Ruby’s with the other to tease her. Hasty directions are given and they are off, Lyse’s excited rambling to the owners that she is apparently close with and the low music making for an unexpectedly soothing atmosphere.

“You dine there often,” she notes when Lyse is finished with her call.

“It’s not far from Yda’s place. Well. Our place, technically, but I’ve only been here for half a year now,” Lyse explains. “Shizuru and Gennai, the owners, immigrated from Doma, and when I told them I spent the last four years there, they practically adopted me.”

The casually revealed information catches her interest, but they reach their destination shortly after, and she is regaled with stories of the owners, their children, and _their_ children while they search for parking. Storytime lasts until they walk in and young woman at the podium perks up at the sight of them. Lyse, ever the gentlewoman, holds the door open and leads her in with a hand at the small of her back.

For Miqo’te, such a gesture is intimate in private and borderline risque in public; certainly not something to be done by an acquaintance of fifteen minutes. Well, it is an old social rule few Miqo’te pay mind to these days, and one that she has never given thought to herself, but the undeniable shiver that races up her spine from the contact brings it to mind.

“Lyse-san! Oh, _wow_. Nice catch! I’ll get a _special_ table set up!”

“Eh?”

The hand moves away and its owner grants her a confused smile. The woman’s implication misses her by malms, it seems. She scoffs at the unreasonably cute yet clueless expression, but forgives the unintentional faux pas. Sincere compliments aside, Lyse has given no indication that she is interested in her sexually, and she isn’t about to push the matter after the woman so kindly saved her evening.

Frankly, she isn’t yet certain what _her_ interest in Lyse is, but there’s nothing wrong with a little harmless flirtation.

“Goodness, I feel a tad overdressed for this date,” she says, looking down at her white chiffon blouse, asymmetrical black skirt, and strap heels.

Ruby’s is a far more casual restaurant than the Four Lords. A small, hole in the wall establishment, it has a warm, homey atmosphere in sharp contrast to the ostentatious modern build of the Four Lords. The ceiling is low, but the restaurant itself is wider than the entrance suggests, with intricate yet aged wooden carvings lining the tops of the booths and paper wall partitions separating various sections of the dining area. The walls are a mural of Doman history, faded with time yet no less interesting to her. Most wood is a shade of mahogany that soothes the eyes and serves to highlight the gold accents in their traditional decorations.

“What? No, no, you’re perfect! Uh. I mean. Your clothes! Your _outfit_ is perfect. Ahaha. Wait. _Date_?” Lyse is blushing and stumbling over her words as the server reappears to laugh at her awkwardness and lead them through the crowded main room to a private corner of the restaurant.

Any other person would be served a biting rebuttal for such unashamed flirting, but Lyse Hext, she realizes, is a woman who puts very little thought into censoring her words, or how they might be taken. It’s _cute_, really, as she clearly has no desire to offend.

Taking pity on Lyse, she smiles and rests a hand on her forearm. “I’m _joking_, Lyse. Please, do try not to faint from embarrassment.”

That stops the rambling, if not the blushing.

“Your food will be out soon, Lyse-san, and here is a menu for your lovely _date_. Would you like a drink to start?”

Soda and tea are ordered without haste -she is curious about the house special blend- and awkwardness begins to descend in the wake of the server’s departure. For as little as they know of each other, this may as well be a blind date.

“As popular as this place is, I’m surprised I’ve never heard of it before,” she starts for lack of anything better to say.

Lyse grins widely. “It’s something of a local hotspot, not that I knew that when I first came in. I was wandering around after a run and found it. The atmosphere is amazing. It’s like being back in Doma!”

“Is it now? I’ve never been, myself.”

That’s all it takes for her companion to launch into a description of the far east. Four years she spent in first Kugane, then Doma, working as a bodyguard. Many of her descriptions of the architecture and people are...strange yet extremely detailed. She can almost picture herself wading through Kugane’s crowded marketplace, watching the sunset in the Ruby Sea, or crossing the bridge into Doma Castle.

What she _doesn’t_ describe, however, is the manner of work she did after moving on from Kugane. What is clear is that Doma had been home to her for most of the time she spent outside of Eorzea, and she has to wonder what it is that forced Lyse to make the move back to New Sharlayan.

The only pauses come with the delivery of food. Lyse’s plate of some sort of chicken doused in peanuts and sauce comes not long after their drinks do; the tea is delicious, made with a patience that would please even cranky Matoya, and though she is not overly fond of peanuts, the chicken itself is soft and juicy. Her obvious pleasure at the taste makes Lyse proud, as if it is a personal compliment.

Lyse Hext, it appears, is a woman who enjoys pleasing others. Unbidden, she wonders if that trait extends to the bedroom as well. She pushes the thought away as quickly as it forms.

-_But she truly does want to know_-

Lyse urges her to eat off her plate, which she normally would never do. The amount of food served, however, is enough to feed three people comfortably, and she is near shaking with hunger at this point. The conversation turns toward a comparison of food Lyse has sampled in Doma, and what she has in Limsa, which turns into a debate over which sweets are better, then a shared dissatisfaction with the lack of diverse culinary options in Sharlayan.

It is only when the server politely informs them that it’s closing time that they realize they have been there for two hours. They quickly make their leave, Lyse blushing horribly at the server’s nudge and whispered “_Get it girl,_” and her pretending she doesn’t hear it.

While she has decided that she would not be _opposed_ to spending the night with Lyse, she is also wholly satisfied with how her night has turned out.

“Ah, the nights are so nice right now! Sharlayan summers are great for walking,” Lyse exclaims, stretching the arm free from the burden of her boxed food toward the sky.

She blinks, registers the implication that Lyse means to walk home, then grabs a hold of her. “I think not.”

“What? It’s fine, I swear. I walk all the time, and I can definitely handle myself if anything happens.” In spite of her words, Lyse does not fight her grip.

“The _least_ I can do is offer a ride home, Lyse. You saved my evening from disaster, after all, not to mention introduced me to the finest Doman food in the city. And you yourself said that it is nearby. It’s hardly a detour.”

Lyse accepts her fate via sighing and giving directions to her -Yda’s- house. Inevitably, she shares information about the area, which she lived in as a child. Once more she finds herself curious about her past, but as she hopes that this will not be the last time they speak, she stops herself from asking. Not that their drive is very long. “Nearby” turns out to be just under a malm away, in an older, more neglected part of town. The house she is directed to pull in front of is small, but well-kept, with a garden of flowers and a couple stray yard decorations the only signs of personality. The car she recognizes as belonging to Yda is parked in the driveway, prompting some grumbling about sisters who never answer their phones from Lyse.

“Thanks for the ride, Y’shtola. I had fun.”

“As did I,” is what she means to say, but Lyse is suddenly in her space and kissing the corner of her mouth and sheer surprise at the sudden affection keeps her from responding but not from burying her hands in silky blond hair and pulling her in for a proper kiss or dozen.

“As did I,” she gets to say eventually, through ragged breathing, a pounding heart, and swollen lips.

Lyse smiles, moves away, and mutters a “good night” as she clambers out of the car.

Halfway home, she realizes that she forgot to obtain Lyse’s number.

**~Yda~**

Yda has never been a heavy sleeper, so when the door slams shut she jolts awake from surprise.

And rolls right off the couch.

Groaning miserably, she sighs but refuses to move. Gods she’s tired. Why is she on the couch? Oh, right. She had been looking over her stupid lesson plans because the school year starts in two weeks. Said plans are currently strewn about the floor, having fallen at some point during her unplanned nap.

Tilting her head, the upside-down vision of her sister sitting against the front door, knees drawn up and face buried in her hands, greets her.

“What the bloody hell is wrong with you?” she snarls.

Lyse squeaks. “Oh my god. _I kissed her_!”

...Kissed? _Her_? She hadn’t known Lyse was into people at all, much less women, but sure. Why not?

“Congratulations,” she says dryly.

“And she kissed me back!”

“It’s...ten at night. I really don’t care.”

“She’s so pretty and nice and smart and funny and I can’t believe I.”

“_Really._ _Don’t_. _Care_.”

“Do you think she would want to go on a real date? Or was it a one time thing? What if she decides that I talked too much? Oh Rhalgr, _did_ I talk too much?”

Mouthing a prayer to Rhalgr to give her strength, she forces herself to her feet. “I’m going to sleep. Good night.”

Lyse is on her feet and chasing after her in an instant. “No! You know Y’shtola better than I do! You have to know if she might like me!”

“Ask her yourself, idiot! Keep me out of-” She pauses as the words properly register in her mind. “...Y’shtola...Rhul?”

“Yeah, yeah! The really pretty one from school!”

“Pretty” is one way to describe Y’shtola Rhul. Not a way that _she_ ever has, of course. Troublesome, snarky, and a touch condescending are the adjectives she generally prefers. She may not hate Rhul, but she certainly isn’t someone she wants to listen to Lyse rant about.

“I forbid it.”

“...Excuse me?”

“No way! Not her!”

“I wasn’t asking your _permission_!”

**~Y’mhitra~**

After three years spent excavating the ancient ruins of Amdapor, being home in Sharlayan remains odd. Everything is so clean, and the food is plentiful. She can sleep until noon if she so desires, which she often does. The novelty of having her own room and a bed with an actual mattress has yet to become mundane.

She is in the midst of making her third cup of tea for the night when lights flash on the kitchen window, and the sound of tires crunching against the gravel sound through the open window. Surprised not at the late hour her sister is returning, but that she returned _at all_ tonight -it was implied that she would be spending the night elsewhere- she sips at her tea and waits patiently for Shtola to walk in.

“You’re up late,” Shtola says in lieu of a greeting.

“Hmm. I slept late. Was there a change of plans? I thought you would not return until tomorrow. And Is that food?” Doman, by the smell of it, and her body takes a moment to remind her that tea is _not_ a proper meal.

“Yes, and yes. You may have some if you like. It’s quite delicious.”

She is quick to retrieve the food while her sister fights with her heels. Looking at her up close, she notes the mussed hair, the lingering redness in her lips, and the -dare she say it- _dreamy_ expression. “I see the changes were for the better.”

Shtola hums and her smile grows larger. “That they were, unexpected though it all was.”

Never before has she seen Shtola so interested in another person, and as her sister tells the story of the night, she wonders if this Lyse Hext might be the one to bring life to Shtola’s empty world.


End file.
